16 February PAE 84 - Letter to the Editor, Col. Alfred Vincent St. John, ret'd
A Letter to the Editor published in the St. Louis Lantern 21st Feb, PAE84: In response to Mrs. Malhounie’s soft-hearted (and somewhat soft-headed) letter published February 14th, PAE 84 in the St. Louis Lantern, I find it outrageous that this publication has not done more to caution readers against falling prey to such idealistic and ideological misrepresentations of the Census and Registration Act, vital legislation aimed not at oppression, but at re-establishing a modicum of order and safety for all subjects of His Royal Majesty’s realm. This legislation was not pre-emptive, but passed in response to the alarming violence brought into our cities of light by the Nightman. It is indeed our duty to bring light into the darkness, but it is also imperative that we protect the light of civilization from being snuffed out entirely. Do not neglect that the countless tribes in the Nightlands are united as a single culture only in their propensity for violence, and a lustful proclivity for a personal arsenal of lethal weaponry, which every Nightman delights to utilize wherever they choose, including within the walls of our once-safe city. Do not neglect that Lord Wolsey was murdered publicly and in cold blood by the villain Hekration, leader of the so-called "Iron Born Senate". That these murderous thugs levy accusations against the victim of their assassination is irrelevant. They forsake the King’s law to mete out savage justice by their own hands, denying a Lord of the realm the process of trial that all subjects of the Empire are due, both lowly and highborn alike. Furthermore, the Nightman has all the same legal channels to representation in Parliament as any subject. These arrogant blackguards commit treason against His Majesty’s rule in forming their own governing body. This “Senate” is nothing more than a gang of criminals taking up armed rebellion against the throne, paving their mad road with the blood of those who stand in opposition. We must quell this open insurrection whilst we can still do so easily and with minimal loss of life. It is a fact that every year, increasing numbers of Nightmen have been permitted access within the walls of the city, and every year follows a concomitant increase in violent crimes and assaults involving them. The industrious denizens of our cities provide food, housing, and medicine for burgeoning numbers of Nightmen throughout the realm. They have repaid our generosity with murder and treason. Not all Nightmen behave savagely. The Census and Registration Act has no permanent bearing on those Nightmen who peacefully and dutifully assimilate into a productive life. It is aimed at correcting those who would spread lawlessness and anarchy everywhere they can. It is unfortunate that those Nightmen who may be considered civilized number so few against those who must be considered savage - and that considerable measures are required to separate the two. However, we have been left no choice in the matter, our hands have been forced by their treason. It has been a lax and permissive deportment toward the Nightman which fostered the current intolerable situation. For too long, we have indulged the Nightman’s taste for violence and must now impose discipline upon him, much as a spoiled child deserves. The debate has ended, and we must now do what must be done to bring unity and peace to the Empire. The Nightman has brought this upon himself, no bones about it! Sincerely, Col. Alfred Vincent St. John (ret’d)